Deck lid hinge with adjustable spring counterbalance



T. J. HOSEA Feb. 11, 1958 DECK LID HINGE WITH ADJUSTABLE SPRING COUNTERBALANCE Filed May 11, 1954 4 NVENTOR ZOmacf/iea! ATTORNEY DECK LID InNGE WITH ADJUSTABLE vSPRING CQUNTERBALANCE f Thomas Si. Hosea, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,'Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application May 11, 1954, Serial No. 428,923

6 Claims. (Cl. 16-190) This invention relates to a lid hinge and hold-open,

VVited States Patent() and more particularly to a hinge and adjustable hold-open for the deck lid of an automobile.

Hingedly mounted deck lids are provided wtih counterbalance spring means which Ifacilitate initial opening movement of the deck lid and which increase in effectiveness as the deck lid approaches open position and hold the deck lid in its fully open position. Because of variations in spring strength and in the size and weight of ditferent deck lids, it is difficult to obtain a uniform counterbalance effect in assembly line production. This invention provides a simple and effective adjustment means whereby the counterbalance force exerted by the spring may be varied in fixed steps to obtain proper operation despite variations in spring strength, size and.

weight of deck lids, and the like. According to the invention, a support bracket depends from the hinge arm for anchoring one end of the counterbalance spring, the bracket having a plurality of spaced anchor notches for adjusting the sprinr7 strength in fixed steps so that desired counterbalance action may be obtained after the automobile has been assembled.

Other features and advantages lof the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings, in which:

Fig- 1 is fragmentary rear rastrear/.e view 0f an automobile embodying`thel invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical section through one o-f the deck lid hinges, the deck lid being shown in open position in solid lines and'inclosed position@ brokenlnes; j i" Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, the counterbalance spring being removed; and

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged section corresponding to a portion of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, an automobile designated generally as 1l) in Fig. 1 has a body 11 with a deck compartment 12 and a deck lid 13 therefor. The deck lid is hingedly mounted on the body, being carried on spaced gooseneck hinge straps 15, each of which is pivotally mounted in a channel-shaped elongated hinge box 16.

Since the hinge straps 15 are secured to the deck lid 13 closely adjacent the forward edge thereof, the leverage of the deck lid is high, and counterbalance springs are provided to offset the weight of the deck lid. Preferably, these springs are arranged to exert enough counterbalance force almost to overcome the weight of the deck lid when the deck lid is nearly closed, and to increase in effective ness and more than overcome the weight of the deck lid as the deck lid approaches open position, so that the springs will hold the deck lid open as shown in Fig. 1. This varying counterbalance'action is obtained by mounting the springs so that the moment arm of the springs change as the deck lid moves toward open position.

Each hinge and counterbalance means is similar and only one will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, strap 15 ice is pivoted upon a pin l18` which extends between the opposite walls of the elongated hinge box 16 mounted `on the undersurface of the body panel 11 and closelyl ad jacent the forward edge of the deck ompartment opening' 12, and the gooseneck form o f strap' 15 venablesthe deck lid 13 to move. upwardlyand forwardly when opened to providefhree access to the compartment" 12; i A rubber bumper 19 on a pin 19e limits opening movement ofthe de cklid'13.

Each hinge is provided with counterbalance spring means and extensible supporting guide means therefor comprising aligned telescopin'g spring supporting links 20 and 21, each provided with a slot 20a and 2`1a,respec` tively. Alpin 22 is secured tothe end'of link21'and projects through the slot 20a', and a similar'fpin"23"is secured to the end of link 20 and projects through the slot 21a so that the links, while held ina1ign`ment,"may be extended or retracted within limits defined by :the length ofthe slots las the dec'k lid is opened or closed'. The forward `end of link 20 is `pivoted on a pin"`24 mounted between the hinge box walls, and the links `support a compression spring 25,'` the'forward endof the spring seating against a collar 26 and the'rearend of the spring seating against a shoulder formed by an enlarged head portion'27 at the end of link 21.1 f'

The structure `describedV aboveis Iold. In the past, the `rear end of the counterbalance spring (or the rear' end of' the supportand guide link 21) has been nonremovably secured to a support bracket depending rigidly from the hinge strap, and vthere has beenno meanspf' adjustment to'compensa'te for variationsin Yspring strengthj.' size and weight of different deck lids, and thelike'. Instead of securing the rear ,end of the c'ountr'balancerspriri'g means tixedly tothe support bracketasfhas beendone in the past, an adjustment means'is provided s that fthe effective counterbalance. force 'sexerted 'by .the .spring- 25 may be varied in fixed steps." i

A support bracket jlli's riveted to theunderside of strap 15 and depends downwardly 'from sid strap within i the box'16. The bracket 30 is formed with spaced notches 31, 32 located in the lforward side of the bracketadjacent the free `or `.dependir'ig end-thereof.V pin 33 whichprojects :laterally Afrom therearend of link Z1`is Vadallitittr'seat in a selected one ofthe notches" 3.1,"/32 to complete the lconnectionY between the. `co'unterbala'nce spring means and the hinge arm 15. In the drawings, pin 33 is shown in notch 32 which is remote from the pivotal axis 18 of the hinge arm so that the moment arm of the spring, when the deck lid is open, is at a maximum. This arrangement provides maximum counterbalance spring force. lf less counterbalance spring force is desired, the pin 33 may be removed from the notch 32 and seated in the notch 31, and this may be done during the assembly of the automobile or at any time after the automobile is assembled. In order to shift the pin 33' from one notch to the other, the stop pin 19 is removed so that the deck lid 13 may be swung open beyond its i1- lustrated normal fully open position. Since extension of the spring support links 20 and 21 is limited by the pin and slot interconnection between the links, the bracket 30 will be disconnected from the pin 33. and the pin may be rearranged in either selected notch.

The stop pin 19 may be provided at its end with a readily removable key or clip (not shown) of conventional construction so that the stop pin may be easily removed to permit adjustment ofthe spring force.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is capable of many modications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automobile having a body with a deck compartment and a deck lid therefor, av hinge and counterbalance for the deck lid, including: a pivotally mounted hinge member connecting the lid to the body; a compression spring; a pair of telescoping links carrying said spring; means for pivotally connecting one end of one of said links to said body; and a support bracket depending from said hinge member for anchoring one end of the other link, said bracket having a plurality of spaced anchor notches each adapted to engage a portion of the other link whereby said other link may be seated in a selected notch to adjust the spring strength in fixed steps.

2. In an automobile having a body with a deck compartment and a deck lid therefor, a hinge and counterbalance for the deck lid, including: a hinge member pivotally connected to the body within the compartment and rigidly connected to the lid; a compression spring in the compartment; an extensible supporting guide mounted on the spring; means pivotally connecting one end of said guide to said body; and a support bracket depending from said hinge member for anchoring the other end of said guide, said bracket having a plurality of spaced anchor notches selectively adapted to seat the other end of said extensible guide for adjusting the spring strength in iixed steps.

3. In yan automobile body having an opening and a closure for said opening, a hinge and counterbalance for said closure comprising, a hinge member swingably mounted on said body and secured to said closure, compression spring means, guide means seating said spring means, and connector means connecting said guide means between said hinge member and said body and including a 'plurality of spaced anchorV notches for selectively seating said guiding means to adjust the spring strength in fixed steps, said spring means urging said guide means against said connector means to counterbalance the weight of said closure during movement thereof.

4. A hinge and counterbalance in accordance with claim 3 wherein said connector means comprises a support bracket secured to said hinge member and projecting therefrom for anchoring one end of said guide means.

5. In an automobile body having an opening and a closure for said opening, a hinge and counterbalance for said closure comprising, a hinge member swingably mounted on said body and secured to said closure, a guide extendable to a predetermined extent, means swingably mounting one end of said guide on said body, a compression spring seated on said guide and exerting a yieldable force to extend said guide, connector means on said hinge member for connecting the other end of said guide thereto under the action of said spring whereby said guide and spring counterbalance the weight of said closure, said connector means including a plurality of spaced anchor notches for selectively seating the other end of said guide to thereby selectively adjust the spring strength in fixed steps, and means limiting the swing movement of said closure to a predetermined position to retain the connection between said guide and said connector means by preventing movement of said connector means out of engagement with said other end of said guide when said guide is extended.

6. In an automobile body having an opening and a closure for said opening, a hinge and counterbalance for said closure comprising, a hinge member swingably mounted on said body and secured to said closure, a guide extendable to a predetermined extent, means swingably mounting one end of said guide on said body, a compression spring seated on said guide and exerting a yieldable force to extend said guide, connector means on said hinge member for connecting the other end of said guide thereto under the action of said spring whereby said guide and spring counterbalance the weight of said closure, said connector means including a plurality of spaced anchor notches for selectively seating the other end of said guide to thereby selectively adjust the spring strength in fixed steps, and means limiting the swinging movement of said closure to a predetermined position to -retain the connection between said guide and said connector means by preventing movement of said connector means out of engagement with said other end of said guide when said guide is extended to said predetermined extended position, said limiting means being movable to allow said closure to move to la position wherein said guide may be moved'out of engagement with the selected one of said notches and into engagement with another of said notches to thereby change the spring strength in a fixed step` References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 786,498 Jetson Apr. 4, 1905 1,853,708 Teaf Apr. 12, 1932 2,626,421 Lyons Jan. 27, 1953 

